THE PSALMIST S CONFIDENCE

THE PSALMIST S CONFIDENCE Ps. 138:1 A Psalm of David. I will praise thee with my whole heart: before the gods will I sing praise unto thee. 2 I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name. 3 In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul. 4 All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O LORD, when they hear the words of thy mouth. 5 Yea, they shall sing in the ways of the LORD: for great is the glory of the LORD. 6 Though the LORD be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off. 7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me. 8 The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands. What makes for good singing in the Lord s house? Good operatic voices, beautiful tones, clear diction? Lively music? Surely what makes good music in the Lord s House is the Lord s people singing the Lord s hymns and songs from the heart. We re not singing about a stranger, or a foreign concept, - we are singing about the Lord Who has redeemed us by the blood of His Son and has given us a heart and mind and will to praise Him. What goes wrong when the worship of God s people falls short of reaching Heaven? A number of reasons could be cited, - some of them might be considered more innocent than others. For example, sometimes our tiredness might be a contributory factor, or maybe we had a problem to deal with before coming out to the meeting. Often though, the reason our worship of God falls short is because we do not allow ourselves the time to prepare to come into His presence. I assure you if I did not properly prepare myself before coming to the meetings I do not consider myself to be appropriately focussed on leading proper worship. Ah, but you don t lead worship! It is the person playing the musical instruments. Worship is not simply singing hymns, - worship is not simply about musical items; worship is about all the time we spend together in God s presence and worship ought to begin even before we come up the steps and into this building and even before a musical note is sounded. The reason we love the psalms is because the authors of the psalms have already prepared themselves before God to enter into His presence. Where does praise begin? It begins in the heart

HEARTFELT PRAISE v.1 I will praise thee with my whole heart: before the gods will I sing praise unto thee. When you come to offer God praise, your offering depends upon the spiritual state of your heart (leb, the inner man, the mind, the will, the soul, the real person). Praise will not work unless this is what it means to you. It will only be a farce, empty, and really a travesty if the heart is not prepared to meet with God. Did you begin the day with God? Have you known His presence throughout the day? Have you been able to attribute to Him His holding and helping hand? Have you see God at work today in your life?! If you have, it is all the more natural to come before Him with such a grateful heart because the heart has been prepared. Ps. 105:1 O give thanks unto the LORD; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people. 2 Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: talk ye of all his wondrous works. 3 Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD. It is our responsibility to see to it that our hearts are prepared to worship God. The man that came into the temple depended too much upon his I s, Lk. 18:11 God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess, - he was looking too much with his eyes, and he didn t even realise he was blind! Whereas the other man, the Bible says, was depending upon what came from his heart, he even v.13 would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. Jesus said the man who prayed from the heart went away more satisfied in God Praise, - if it is to mean anything to us, - must truly come from the heart in order to touch the throne of God. There are two Hebrew words here that spell out for us the depth and meaning of praise. I will praise thee with my whole heart When you recognise all that God has done for you your heart truly longs to thank Him. It does not mean some type of spiritual-induced frenzy, whipped up by a certain form of manmade concoction, - heart-longing praise comes from God as He shows you what He has done for you not only in time, but also from before the foundation of the world. Indeed, the wrong type of praise leads you away from God and not towards Him. 2

3 The word praise is a very special word and it has a very special meaning. It comes from the Hebrew word associated with firing arrows (yadah, pronounced yawdaw) and in the spiritual sense it means to cast down before the throne of God all my thanks and praise for what He has done for me. It is the same meaning as Rev. 4:10 The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. And this picture teaches me that praise must never be for my glorification or for anything that is directed towards me when God touches the heart, the heart brings praise that belongs to God alone. A worship meeting is only a worship meeting, - a praise meeting is only a praise meeting, - when the Object of our praise and worship is truly and only God, in conjunction with the manner He sets out in His Word for us to approach Him. The second occasion David uses praise in this verse, it is a different word (zamar) and it is more the musical word, - to play the musical instrument, to sing, - but in order for the second word for praise to be used correctly, the first word must be the source. Heartfelt praise then is praise that comes from the heart of the believer who has been truly blessed by God s grace and has the song in the heart to prove it. HEART-LONGING PRAISE v.2 I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name. Temple = sanctuary at Shiloh (I Sam. 1:9 and 3:3) When you read this psalm and if you know a wee bit of Hebrew, there is a word that immediately jumps out at you, hesed, lovingkindness, - it is actually the Hebrew word from which the name David derives ( beloved one ). This is God s goodness, kindness, faithfulness, - all the graces we do not deserve from God and yet He gives them to us. And when you see God, - even if you are as blind as Fanny Crosby was, - you will still say (as she said), To God be the glory, great things He hath done! Great things He has taught us, great things He has done, And great our rejoicing through Jesus the Son; But purer, and higher, and greater will be Our wonder, our transport, when Jesus we see.

4 In v.1 David said, before the gods will I sing praise unto thee. The gods are the false gods over whom God gave David the victory. God could see those gods of wood and silver and gold but they were dead, inanimate, useless. Here in v.2, David praise to the only wise, true and living God praise for the Truth Who is Jehovah for Thy truth, - meaning, for its reliability, its sureness, its stability, its instruction, as the former Hebrew scholar once said, II Tim. 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. We believe in the Truth, - the only Truth, - there is no other Truth but God, as we see manifest in His Son Who said, (Jn. 14:6) I am the way, the truth, (Jn. 8:32) and the truth shall make you free. You will have a song in your heart, I love the Christ who died on Calvary, For He washed my sins away; He put within my heart a melody, And I know it s there to stay. Twill be my endless theme in glory, With the angels I will sing; 'Twill be a song with glorious harmony, When the courts of heaven ring. It is the freedom song of Heaven, - the Devil has lost, Jesus is the Conqueror and He has enrolled me in the victory army through His wonderful and saving sovereign grace. The capability we have for worship is only all because of God and His lovingkindness and His truth and the more we come to know Him the more we recognise thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name You have shown me what You have done to save me and I never will cease to praise You. The more I come to understand how much You did to save me, the more my heart will praise You! It is all of grace, it all to God s glory! It is all contained in thy word, - imrah, the Word of God, the Torah, the teaching of the Law. Nobody has made it up, - it is not of man s inventions, it is solely based upon God s marvellous lovingkindness and grace shown towards His people in Divine Election. Heart-longing praise is how the psalmist sings to God, 107:2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy. Heartfelt praise, heart-longing praise HEART-STRENGTHENING PRAISE v.3 In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul. How often have you come to God with such a heavy burden upon your heart and you have feared you would not be able to bear it any

5 longer? It reaches deep down into your soul (nephesh, the life/breath the body of Adam received when God breathed into him, Gen. 2:7). Maybe you feel something as Job felt, 7:1 Is there not an appointed time to man upon earth? are not his days also like the days of an hireling? 2 As a servant earnestly desireth the shadow, and as an hireling looketh for the reward of his work Get me out of here quick, Lord! v.20 what shall I do unto thee, O thou preserver of men? why hast thou set me as a mark against thee, so that I am a burden to myself? The hurt has been terrible, and you called upon God day and night to save you out of the pit and then you can remember He did not leave you or forsake you, because He was there all the time, when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul. I trusted your promises and prayed, and You answered above and beyond anything I cold ever have imagined. Eph. 3:19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. 20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, The days are long when you can find no respite from your worries and cares but each and every day is in the capable hands of your loving Heavenly Father, Ps. 37:23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way. 24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand. In the same way that God was in charge of creating each of the seven days in Gen. 1, He continues to be in charge of each and every day He opens your eyes in the morning to see. Yes, there is nothing wrong in crying to Him, - it does not show we trust Him any the less. Again Job mourned, 16:20 My friends scorn me: but mine eye poureth out tears unto God. Such was the psalmist s burden that he wept all night, 6:6 I am weary with my groaning; all the night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears. 7 Mine eye is consumed because of grief; 8 Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity; for the LORD hath heard the voice of my weeping. 9 The LORD hath heard my supplication; the LORD will receive my prayer. He does not turn away and leave you alone. Is it not often the case that when you are in the deepest waters, along the most frightening of straits, you prove the Lord the greatest. I read about a believer who was sentenced to death because of his faith in Christ. He was to be burned at the stake, and he was frightened because he was certain he would never be able to endure the suffering.

6 One night he experimented by putting his little finger into the candle flame. The pain was excruciating, and he immediately withdrew his finger, I will disgrace my Lord, he thought. But when the hour came for him to die, his death brought praise and glory to His Saviour. God gave him the power when he needed it the most, and not before. Praise is not just for the happy-clappies ( and the Lord bless them too! ), praise is also for those believers who are weak and need to come to the Saviour to be strengthened, Ps. 3:4 I cried unto the LORD with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill 34:4 I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears 120:1 In my distress I cried unto the LORD, and he heard me Jonah 2:2 I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me. He giveth more grace as our burdens grow greater, He sendeth more strength as our labours increase; To added afflictions He addeth His mercy, To multiplied trials He multiplies peace. When we have exhausted our store of endurance, When our strength has failed ere the day is half done, When we reach the end of our hoarded resources Our Father s full giving is only begun. Fear not that thy need shall exceed His provision, Our God ever yearns His resources to share; Lean hard on the arm everlasting, availing; The Father both thee and thy load will upbear. His love has no limits, His grace has no measure, His power no boundary known unto men; For out of His infinite riches in Jesus He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again. When you read the verse even closer you notice the psalmist was blessed with a speedy answer, In the day when I cried thou answeredst me. Sometimes immediately the Lord answers our prayers in the way we would desire Him to answer them, - never forget to give Him thanks tell others about it. Heartfelt, heart-longing, heart-strengthening praise and HEART-RENDERING PRAISE v.4 All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O LORD, when they hear the words of thy mouth. 5 Yea, they shall sing in the ways of the LORD: for great is the glory of the LORD.

7 The false gods mentioned in v.1 have long been forgotten, - they have failed their worshippers so miserably but what a difference Jehovah brought to His children. Because of the confidence God s people had in their Lord it spilled over to the outside community. Here, David was praying for the kings, and for the rulers. It reminds us to pray as Paul instructs us, I Tim. 2:1 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; 2 For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; 4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. It has often been the case that those in government and in leadership who are believers or who have come under the influence of Biblical principles have passed their grounding on to the community through the laws they have passed. And here is something else worth noticing: the word that David uses to describe the praise (yadah) he longs for the kings of the earth to bring before the Lord is the word he first used in the opening verse. He didn t just want them to sing psalms and hymns, - the word he used was the word out of which praise comes from the heart. He wanted the kings of the earth to know God as he did. He is praying for those in authority, as we ought also. He is praying for them to hear the words of thy mouth to hear the Word of God. Pray for our own Royal Family, that God would save them, and that they would listen to the truth that comes from His Word. Jehovah is greater than all the rulers, and if the rulers would come to know Him in a personal way, - in the same way David knew God, - they would be joining in the singing of the songs David sang also. David envisages the beautiful choir of kings and queens, of men and women of distinction but is that not what God has made His children in to, Rom. 8:16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ. All of Heaven is royalty from the Throne down! Rom. 8:37 we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. Notice, Yea, they shall sing in the ways of the LORD. They will no longer be depending upon their own standing or reputations they will no longer be walking contrary to the ways of the Lord, instead, they will be singing and walking in them.

8 Each and every one of the kings in Heaven gives to the King of Kings all the praise and all the Glory, for they know that He alone is worthy. What a place Heaven must be! HEART-REACHING PRAISE v.6 Though the LORD be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off. The word the psalmist uses here to describe the loftiness of the Lord draws the picture of One Who is above this world, and Who cannot be stained or sullied by it. God does not need any of His creatures or any of His creation and yet He respects you and me respects, ra ah, He considers us, - He has us on His mind and heart. He watches over us, He pays attention to us Zechariah 2:8 tells us, thus saith the LORD of hosts; he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye. What I mean is that the praise reaches the heart of God. On one occasion two blind men came to God is the highest Authority, and yet He is willing to stoop so low to meet our needs. (cf. Rev. 1:17; 1:1-6 2:7,9). HEART-RESTORING PRAISE v.7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me. Ps. 139:3 Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways 23:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. The Lord knew his need and came to his aid. HEART-RELYING PRAISE v.6 The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands. God had a purpose for David s life, and He would not allow the enemy to thwart that purpose.

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